Did the Iraq war leave Iraq in better shape?

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders of both parties have supported U.S. military intervention in Syria.

Sunni women mourn at the Sept. 13 funeral of a victim who was killed in a Sunni mosque about 40 miles from Baghdad. (Reuters photo)

But the public has been skittish of even a “quick strike” on Syria. America’s experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has added to the doubts.

It’s possible to make a case that intervention in Iraq might have been badly and tragically bungled, but in the end it produced some positive results. Iraq has an elected government and had been starting to recover economically.

However, violence has been rising sharply this year.

In an attempt to curb some of the mayhem, according to an Associated Press report:

“In Baghdad, Shiite, Arab Sunni and Kurdish political leaders have signed an ‘honor pact’ against the violence that has been on the rise since a deadly crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in April.

“The pact calls for safeguarding national unity, dialogue over political problems, firm action against terrorist activities and fair distribution of government posts among all Iraqi sects and ethnic groups.

“Iraqi political groups have signed several similar agreements in the past but overcoming violence and political differences remains an elusive goal.

“Iraq is weathering its deadliest bout of violence in half a decade, raising fears the country is returning to the sectarian bloodshed that pushed it to the brink of civil war in the years after Saddam’s ouster.

“More than 4,000 people have been killed violently in Iraq since April.”

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